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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
I have just said that in organizing activities for the youth, the stress must be laid on educating them through entertainment. The main purpose is to build up in them a strong sense of responsibility towards the community, and to make them realize thoroughly that the community is an organism of which both the individuals and the families are "cells". If the individuals want to lead a comfortable and stable life in the community, then, as cells of the organism, they must each make themselves healthy before the organism as a whole can be a healthy entity. If the cells breakdown, the organism will be in trouble too. The success or failure of the community is directly related to the presence or absence of a good sense of responsibility on the part of the individuals towards the community. In other words, when an individual has a high sense of responsibility, does no wrong and works properly and diligently, he is contributing towards the community. Of course, to show that they are full of vigor and potential, our youths should do even more. They should be concerned with the community and participate in its work. Hence, they must be responsible towards their families and the community of Hong Kong before they can enjoy the fruits of life.
The second point I must bring out is that it is most undesirable for the young people to be compelled to leave school and to earn a living at the early age of 14-16. For, as these teenagers start a working life, they, being young and innocent, are apt to be adversely affected by the evils and sins in our society which is nothing less than a "big dyeing tub" which will erode their innocence. And if they are forced to join the triad societies, they will fall into evil hands and will never be able to get out again. Such incidences are everywhere. In view of this, I am of the opinion that the Government should carry out a 9-year compulsory free education scheme and raise the minimum age of workers to 16.
Apart from this, the problem of law and order is, I believe, one of utmost concern to the general public. The causes for the deteriorating law and order situation in Hong Kong are very complicated. The most significant one is the existence of triad societies which can hardly be rooted out but which influence is increasing day by day. Recently, the Commissioner of Prisons, Mr. T. G. GARNER, explicitly revealed that the majority of prisoners were triads, that those non-triad ones may sooner or later be forced by their triad co-inmates to join the societies and that although the Prisons Department had intended to separate the non-triads from the triads, it was not quite able to do so because of the limitation of space in the prisons. Though what Mr. GARNER revealed comes somewhat as a surprise to us, it is nevertheless something which is not totally beyond our expectation.
Besides the activities of the triad societies, "gambling", "narcotics" and "pornography" are the three vices which are the root causes for the bad social order. In the past year, the police have achieved some degree of success in launching campaigns against these three vices. However, with the stamping out of various forms of illegal gambling, the legal off-course betting centres have multiplied in great number and are even extending into public housing estates where the lower-middle class people live. The authorities concerned believe that the setting up of off-course betting centres will go a long way towards checking the activities of illegal bookmakers. This may be well founded but it must be pointed out that though the number of OCB centres has now been increased to over 100, illegal off-course betting syndicates on greyhound and horse still exist. This is an undeniable fact although it is true that the bookmakers are not so unscrupulous as before. Judging from the above, it can be said that the gambling climate in Hong Kong has not been curbed to the least extent. Quite the opposite, it is growing in intensity. The only difference is that instead of being illegal, it has been made legal. Gambling is still with us but it has taken on a new form. I don't think I have any more to say on this!
On the fight against pornography, the existence of the many dens is really an open secret though they have recently been lying low. On the other hand, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of indecent assault and rape cases. I believe the rise in the number of such cases has much to do with the excessive nudeness and sexual temptation featured in films. When exposed to such sexual stimulation, the impressionable youths will get excited and may become sex maniacs. They will try every means to vent out their passion. It is clear that obscene films are more harmful than sex establishments. I, therefore, hope that the film censorship authority will impose further restrictions on such films and that the film producers will stop disseminating poisonous pornographic ideas. If they aim only at reaping more profits without any regard to the evil influence on the community, they will one day be made to taste their own medicine.
Recently, there has been a notable change in the pattern of crimes in Hong Kong. While the number of mugging cases in the streets and lifts has dropped, payroll hold-ups and robberies involving restaurants, cafes as well as other commercial and industrial organizations have sharply increased. This is obviously an "upgrading" of robberies, which should be viewed with gravity. The drop in the number of
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